Nick Claxton is sidelined after spraining his ankle during practice
The Brooklyn Nets will begin the second half of the season without their starting center. Nic Clacton sprained his right ankle in practice on Wednesday. Brooklyn ruled him out for Thursday’s road trip with Cleveland Cavaliers.
Claxton put together one of the best statistical seasons of his career after an injury-riddled 2024-25 campaign. Longest Net averaged 12.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 blocks on 59.0 percent shooting in 50 appearances.
Brooklyn did grade Claxton’s sprained ankle, but his absence Thursday is significant for a team entrenched in the NBA’s tank race. With the Nets fighting for draft position, they shouldn’t rush to bring Claxton back from injury.
Nick Claxton has been ruled out of the Nets after suffering an ankle injury during practice
Brooklyn begins the second half of the season in fifth place draft lottery listone game behind the Washington Wizards in second and 1.5 ahead of the Utah Jazz in sixth. Several teams competing with the Nets at the bottom of the standings have recently traded away top players.
The Sacramento Kings waived Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine for the season, and the Utah Jazz cut Jaren Jackson Jr. Meanwhile, Trae Young and Anthony Davis have been ruled out indefinitely for the Washington Wizards. The same goes for Ivica Zubac with the Indiana Pacers.
The Nets face a tough upcoming schedule, with 12 of their next 17 games against teams with winning records. They they have the sixth-toughest remaining schedule in the NBA overall.
Dai’Ron Sharpe will step in as Brooklyn’s starting center with Clacton. Sharp continued to look like one of the best backup centers in the NBA this season, averaging 8.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.1 steals on 61.1 percent shooting in 18.5 minutes per game.
Danny Wolfe and Noah Clowney should see time at center with the Nets’ second unit during Clacton’s absence.
2026-02-19 14:55:00
